Framing styles and trends have changed in the past 20 years, but the people at The Frame Shop of Boulder have stayed the same.

Priscilla Campbell and her daughter Cathie Purdy opened the shop in November 1992. They say they came to Boulder because they love the mountains of Colorado and the city.

Their business focuses around the people who come in to frame their pictures, memories and stories. From official Olympic torches to family photos, they're always asking about the stories behind their frame jobs. The women who work there say they've house-sat for their customers, gone to the hospital with them -- even helped fix a lady's shoe.

It's more than the business; it's about the people.

"I love the customers and their families," said Campbell, owner of The Frame Shop.

Some of their clients have invited them over to their houses for tea or drinks because they framed everything in their house. The Frame Shop has about four competitors in Boulder alone, but Campbell isn't worried.

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"We all have our own niche, it depends on who knows you," she said. "Our main advertisement is word of mouth."

When they opened the shop almost 20 years ago, Campbell and Purdy had no idea it would last so long. They started as a Budget Framer franchise. Once their 10-year contract ran out, they changed the shop's name and became an independent business, staying in the same location.

Campbell worked in an art-gallery frame shop in Des Moines, Iowa, before she came to Colorado. She learned how to frame from that job and taught her daughter everything about framing. Purdy has a background in interior design and has helped their customers install pieces and advised on design.

Either Campbell or Purdy are almost always at the shop, but their crew became complete four years ago when Carolyn Huntsman joined the staff. When she visited Colorado from Pennsylvania, Huntsman always would utilize The Frame Shop. Campbell and Purdy had been looking for another employee for their shop for a while, and once Huntsman moved into town, it was a perfect fit.

"It's an art in itself," Huntsman said of framing.

The framers work with customers choosing between different layers of mats, colors and styles.

"Boulder is full of people who travel the world ) and we live vicariously through them," Campbell said.

The personal photos that their clients bring range from people riding camels to their daughters' ballet pictures. They've framed jerseys, a wedding kimono, quilts and military medals.

At age 71, Campbell doesn't think she has another 20 years to give to the Frame Shop, but the mother-and-daughter team intends to keep it open as long as it will last. They had a dream for a life and a business in Boulder when they moved out here. They say their philosophy of caring about customers and taking pride in their art gave them measurable returns.

"People always look at the artwork and say, 'What great framing!'" Purdy said of local artists who use the shop.

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